The Spencer County Bears will face off against the Atherton Ravens at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Spencer County will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Spencer County will bounce into Friday's game after beating Shelby County, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Bears put the hurt on the Rockets with a sharp 16-1 victory on Thursday. Considering the Bears have won seven matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Meanwhile, it may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Atherton ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out Fern Creek 11-9. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Ravens have posted against the Tigers since March 25, 2016.
Jude Fulks was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. What's more, he posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Atherton: the team is 9-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-9 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Troy Rutledge, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Atherton's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 4-10 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Cole Rutledge, who got on base in four of his six plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Atherton now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Spencer County, their victory bumped their record up to 18-5.
Everything went Spencer County's way against Atherton in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Spencer County made off with a 10-0 win. Will the Bears repeat their success, or do the Ravens have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
